If there's one thing in the food realm that seems to always spark my interest, it's mini food! Everything from tiny tacos to mini pop tarts, yes they're a thing! My fasciation must have got the best of me because, I finally had enough of pinning cuteness and actually cooked something.  As a lover of all things carbs, I'm certainly no stranger to the twice baked potato. I mean, whats not to love about a creamy, pillowy pocket of goodness and toppings?

I set out to make these "bite size" as an appetizer for Super Bowl, and apparently they were pretty good because I ended up having to steal a few from the table to shoot! I will say that making these do take a bit of time, but the end result will have you up for hostess of the year ;)

Ingredients:

• 24 baby Yukon Gold or red potatoes (2 to 2-1/4 lb.)

• 2 tbs. olive oil

• 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme

• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3 oz. bacon (about 3 thick slices), cooked until crispy and crumbled

• 1/2 C thinly sliced fresh chives

• 1/2 C sour cream

• 1/2 C coarsely grated parmigiano-reggiano ( don't settle for cheese in a container!)

Directions:
Heat the oven to 425°F. Put potatoes on a large baking sheet and toss with olive oil. Sprinkle  1 tsp.  thyme, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper, and toss again. Bake the potatoes until tender when pierced with a skewer, about (20-25 minutes.) Remove from oven and let rest until cool enough to handle, around 10 minutes. 

Carefully hollow out each potato, to do this begin by slicing off the top; use a melon baller to scoop out most of the flesh inside, transferring it to a large bowl. Discard the tops.
Mash the potato flesh with a masher, then combine it with the bacon, 1/3 C chives, sour cream, 1/3 Parmigiano-Reggiano and the remaining thyme, salt, and pepper. Taste, and add additional seasoning if needed. Crank oven up to 450°F.

Using a small teaspoon fill the hollowed potatoes with the mixture; it should puff out of the potato. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Return the potatoes to your preheated oven and bake until the filling heats through, 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining chives and serve warm.

Enjoy,

Birdie